Valentine's Hallelujah
by JessieWrites
Summary: Everyone wants to know what Vincent learned from love. Please Review, it's how I know if I did well.


Valentine's Hallelujah

JessieWrites

NOTE, PLEASE READ: This is a "song-fic", however I do not like the current layout of them, so mine have the song mixed in with the story. Some of the lyrics have been changed to fit with the dialog. Also /--Indicates a flashback--/ and 'are thoughts' and "This-" indicates speech being cut off. Enjoy.

-VV-

A few months after the defeat of Omega, the small Avalanche group were taking a break and visiting Vincent in his newly re-built mansion. Previously called The ShinRa Mansion, it was now Valentine Manor. The yard had been re-landscaped and the monsters had been permanently removed. The inside looked elegant and had the latest luxuries. On this day, the sky was dull and drizzled erratically. They were gathered in the library, which had a large marble fireplace that heated the room and chased the chill away.

The room was beautifully decorated with dark woods and fabrics of red and gold. The only light in the room came from the fireplace and lights that were made to look like candles. Vincent sat in the bay window with a book, while the others found seats elsewhere. Tifa and Cloud cuddled on the loveseat covered by a thick red throw and snuggled amongst the red and gold throw pillows. Yuffie was lying on the rug in front of the fireplace and brushing Nanaki's mane. Barret and Cid were snacking on the leather couch. Reeve sat a little away from the others at one of the library's tables and tinkering with Cait Sith's innards.

Currently the talk of this dismal and cold day was love and lessons learned from its failures or successes. Yuffie hummed slightly, "I think that love should be full of adventures and victories over enemies and fighting and making up. That's the best part."

Tifa shook her head. "I think love is something you have to be patient with."

Cloud nodded. "I agree. Sometimes it's not easy to let go and take what you have. The here and now is so much better than a memory."

Cid grumbled and blew smoke into the air. Barret spoke first though, "Nah, love is money. Women love a man who spoils her and has lots of dough. And music, they really like that cheesy stuff."

"Hey!" Yuffie pouted.

Cid laughed, "Stupid music. You don't need anything. If a girl is worth dirt, she'll stick around. You don't need to do anything special."

Reeve shook his head and mumbled "poor Shera" to himself.

"My species," Nanaki said, "chooses mates based off of scent. One sniff and you know."

"Ewe, gross!" Yuffie pinched her nose. "I can only imagine _where_ you sniff!"

"It seems much more simple than with you humans. You complicate things too much."

"Complicate? I bet Vinnie has the most complicated love story of us all. Huh Vinnie?" Vincent didn't even respond. "Come on _Vinnie, Vin Vin, Vincento,_ what do you know about love?"

"Yuffie," Tifa scoffed, "leave him alone."

"Aww, come on. Tell us what you've learned so that we don't make the same mistakes."

The room grew awkwardly cold as the tension grew. 'Damn that Yuffie,' Cid thought, 'always putting her foot in it.' Vincent flipped the page of his book. With a calmness many would never possess he started speaking, while still looking at his book. "I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the lord," he looked up from his book to meet eyes with Cid, "but you don't really care for music do you." He raised a hand to show the movement of the notes. "Well it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift, the baffled king composing hallelujah."

He let his hand fall back into his lap and looked at Cloud. "Well your faith was strong but you needed proof. You saw her bathing on the roof. Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you. She tied you to a kitchen chair, she broke your throne, she cut your hair, and from your lips she drew the hallelujah." Cloud shivered from memories of his and Tifa's passion when he was returned to life.

Next Vincent looked with steely eyes at Yuffie. "Maybe I've been here before. I've seen this room and I've walked this floor. You know, I used to live alone before I met each of you. And I've seen your flag on the marble arch and love is not a victory march. It's a cold and it's a broken…hallelujah…"

Yuffie tore her eyes away from Vincent's and looked at the group photo over the fireplace mantle. Vincent turned towards the rain outside and watched the raindrops slip slowly down the glass. His mind went back to the last conversation he had with Lucrecia.

/--She stood defiantly before him and blocked him from getting to Hojo who was behind her smirking. "Well there was a time when you let me know what's really going on below, but now you never show that to me do you?"

Vincent begged her to remember their supposed love, "but remember when I moved in you and the holy dove was moving too...?/

"…and every breath we drew was hallelujah," he whispered out, finishing his conversation from long ago. He gave a small sigh and stood, letting the book fall to the seat. As he walked through the group to the door, he continued. "Well maybe there's a god above, but all I've ever learned from love, was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you." '_Hojo, you bastard.'_ He opened the door with a golden claw. Back to the room, he paused and finished his speech. "Its not a cry that you hear at night, it's not somebody who's seen the light, it's a cold and it's a broken-" He cut himself off and slipped out of the room.

As the door shut, Reeve stood and went over to the window. He picked up the discarded book and a grimace flashed over his face. He held the bound paper up so that the others could see. The firelight caused the golden letters to sparkle. _Hallelujah, A Book of Poetry. Authored by Lucrecia Crescent._

-VV-

Please Review.


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